EEVblog #460 - Mailbag - Plasma Speaker

[Balaur]

What really ticked me off was that you pretty much laughed at the plasma speaker guy when he was the one giving you stuff....  I know that you are a public figure.. but this crossed the line.

When did Dave laughed? I though he was rather appreciative.

I don't know. I may be too tough on this, but I have extreme difficulties to find any redeeming factors in plasma speakers. Frankly, if I would had an interest on this subject, I would keep all this for myself as a private hobby, as the engineer in me would be too embarrassed to show this to the world.

[mariush]

Same here, didn't seem to me Dave was laughing at anyone.

For a small part of the video my attention was focused on Sagan and his screwdriver... i kept saying "oh, I hope Sagan doesn't scratch the card's pcb with it or say goodbye to a 2-300$ card". He did put the screwdriver through the card's fan

Quite nice of that guy to send you such card along with water cooling kit for it.

[PedroDaGr8]

The plasma speaker reminds me of an undergrad analytical chemistry (yes abbreviated anal chem) course, called instrumental analysis. Half of it as taught by a guy who designed instruments. We joked his half of the class was titled "How to take over a 3rd world country via chemistry" Anyways, he talked about making plasma balls in microwaves (he said panasonic microwaves worked the best) and using the plasma ball as a 3-d speaker. He said during x-mas time they would blare x-mas carols at night and that you could easily hear them on all 9 floors of the building.

[N2IXK]

Plasma speakers were actually available as a commercial product at one point:

http://www.roger-russell.com/ionovac/ionovac.htm
http://www.ionovac.com/

They used a vacuum tube RF oscillator (similar to a TV flyback circuit) to produce the high voltage arc. They used a long horn arrangement to achieve the desired SPL.

[M. András]

btw the stock cooler on the card was replaced with the water block i bet, looking at those noctua fans and the dust layer it must run for years without cleaning, the card runs hot around 7-80celsius on the stock cooler and damn noisy thats why the water cooling kit is included the gpu block is nickel plated copper, for the fans those mounts to the radiator and very silent while moving decent amount of air, as for your son, i hope you will teach him not to scrape expensive parts with a screw driver, apart from this thumbs up for you to teach him to behave like he does, my cousin still drops everything if he loses intrest in it and he is like 6 years old now

[c4757p]

Dude. Your kid is freaking adorable. "It's a screwdriver!"  And your patience is admirable.

And the cat people with sand in their ass over one little remark are quite entertaining as well...

[Monkeh]

I suspect it's the gaming fanboys, for me being stupid and not recognising the obvious "value" in those high end components, and ultimately not doing anything with them in the video.
Maybe I should clean up the crusty fans and fit them to my new PC I'm getting tomorrow? 

I did twitch a bit when Sagan was poking it with the screwdriver.. As for the value, well, value is relative, and the blog is about electronics, not plug and play computer parts (even I remember when you actually had to know things, not just drop something in the one slot it goes in and plug in the one cable which fits it) and cooling systems. Cool (and hopefully very useful!) donation, but not exactly a hot video topic!

[peter.mitchell]

btw the stock cooler on the card was replaced with the water block i bet, looking at those noctua fans and the dust layer it must run for years without cleaning, the card runs hot around 7-80celsius on the stock cooler and damn noisy thats why the water cooling kit is included the gpu block is nickel plated copper, for the fans those mounts to the radiator and very silent while moving decent amount of air, as for your son, i hope you will teach him not to scrape expensive parts with a screw driver, apart from this thumbs up for you to teach him to behave like he does, my cousin still drops everything if he loses intrest in it and he is like 6 years old now

yeah, the card was used with the water, but not because of noise; because there were several of them and they blocked each others fan intakes.

I suspect it's the gaming fanboys, for me being stupid and not recognising the obvious "value" in those high end components, and ultimately not doing anything with them in the video.
Maybe I should clean up the crusty fans and fit them to my new PC I'm getting tomorrow? 

I did twitch a bit when Sagan was poking it with the screwdriver.. As for the value, well, value is relative, and the blog is about electronics, not plug and play computer parts (even I remember when you actually had to know things, not just drop something in the one slot it goes in and plug in the one cable which fits it) and cooling systems. Cool (and hopefully very useful!) donation, but not exactly a hot video topic!

exactly, i understand Dave may have no interest in this or use, i sent the video card for trying in his new build, the water block too because what use do i have for it without the card, and other stuff so if he did want to use it, he could.

TBH, i have no harsh opinion of anything in the video,  i, and others sent in free stuff, second hand, on a whim, i don't have any higher expectations for it than stuff in the trash or lying on the street.

[Ferroto]

FYI Vermont produces 5.5% of the worlds supply of maple syrup (OK so Canada produces 80%, but 5.5% is still a lot - around 4 million litres!

That's BS everyone knows Canada has the maple syrup market cornered.

[Lightages]

It is obvious that the thumbs down from people came from some of your negative remarks. I suppose some people would look at your bashing the smoker as kicking the gift giver in the face. You could have been less harsh about it and state that you prefer that you don't receive things with smoke smell but still appreciated the gift and the participation of a viewer who helps pay your bills.

I like cats, I like them more than dogs, but I find that some people are way over the top with their love of cats. Share your cat pictures like you would your home movies of your child! With no one!

Sagan was a fun distraction in this video, but I am afraid despite the cuteness of it you will drive some people away who want to watch electronics and not children playing if you get too carried away with him being in videos. But as always, it is your blog, your business, and screw those who don't like it. Just be prepared for lower ad views in the end maybe.

[Dave]

When you were playing with that plasma speaker, you should have clipped the ends of those solid core wires at an angle, so you would have pointy tips. That would easily increase the spark length, as electric fields are much stronger on pointy objects (that's why lightning often hits pointy antennas during thunderstorms).

[joab]

Hah, I also have an old TI-60 laying around. Well, it's not in one piece anymore, since I did exactly as in the video: I opened it up. It's now in one of my desk drawers, I think.

[hammy]

Sagan was a fun distraction in this video, but I am afraid despite the cuteness of it you will drive some people away who want to watch electronics and not children playing if you get too carried away with him being in videos. But as always, it is your blog, your business, and screw those who don't like it. Just be prepared for lower ad views in the end maybe.

Right. This is "only" a mailbag video and no teardown. And Sagan is now in one or two from more than 460 videos. There are a lot more videos for the people who want watch only electronics.
Sagan has every right to be in a video, his dad spend enough time for 460+ videos.
If some of you don't like kids so skip this video. Sagan is a part of Dave's life and he is more important than every video.  %-B

[c4757p]

It is obvious that the thumbs down from people came from some of your negative remarks. I suppose some people would look at your bashing the smoker as kicking the gift giver in the face. You could have been less harsh about it and state that you prefer that you don't receive things with smoke smell but still appreciated the gift and the participation of a viewer who helps pay your bills.

I didn't get the feeling that he was bashing the smoker or harsh at all.

I like cats, I like them more than dogs, but I find that some people are way over the top with their love of cats.

That's for sure! I'm a really big "dog person". How much do I care if Dave likes dogs? Not a rat's ass. If somebody doesn't like broccoli I'm not going to stick some in their mouth when I see it open.

Sagan was a fun distraction in this video, but I am afraid despite the cuteness of it you will drive some people away who want to watch electronics and not children playing if you get too carried away with him being in videos.

Yeah, I think it would get a bit annoying if Sagan became a regular, but I got the feeling this was a bit of a "take your child to work day" and cute as hell as a one-time thing.

[LaurenceW]

I learn several things.

The words "Health" and "Safety" rarely occur in the same sentence in Oz! (Children? Barefoot? Up on a work bench? With tools? <SHUDDER!>) I do have children of my own. Somewhere.

Cats are stupid. See here 

Looks like cat lovers are even more stupid, if they are responsible for the thumbs down. I did have a cat, but it had to go. Well, the choice was between a cat or a printer.

Smokers genuinely don't realise that they STINK LIKE SH!T, do they? In the UK, smoking indoors in public building and workplaces is now banned, so the nicotine adicts are forced to nip outside every hour or two for a crafty drag. Then, they come back in and sit back at their desks, like nothing's happened. Only, everyone around them is suddenly wondering when the KIPPER FACTORY started up? Phwaor! No, I don't smoke. I love life and my senses too much.

Nah. I think the thumbs down is just a relflection by people (who, remember, come here to watch, but rarely offer anything themsleves) of how they rate THIS video against your other 459, Dave. You've set your own bar pretty high!

That, or the shocking sight of two bare menfeet.

[DavidDLC]

If there is another video with Sagan, I more likely will not see it.

It's nothing about him, I just think a kid does not belong to a electronic related video.

Also there is an accident waiting to happen with that knife and screwdriver close to him.

David.

[ddavidebor]

For me, sagan presence is not good in tecnical video, but in mailbag, wich is like "oooh look at this nice bird on the postcard", you and your son are a great duo.

[xrunner]

I will march in the street for everyones right to believe any religious fairytale they like, but that doesn't mean I have to be "respectful" to anyone for holding such silly beliefs. I'll make fun of things I find patently silly.

 

[Psi]

Cats are stupid

^Funny


Seriously though, just like any species including humans, some cats are stupid and some are so smart its scary.

[DavidDLC]

Maybe one of these cat lovers is making a monthly donation, or has donated at least once to the EEVBlog.

Maybe one of these smokers is making a monthly donation, or has donated at least once  to the EEVBlog.

Maybe they are buying on Amazon using the EEVBlog link, maybe they bought the uCurrent or some other stuff and more....
 
Don't care attitude from Dave has to be reviewed.

[EEVblog]

Maybe one of these cat lovers is making a monthly donation, or has donated at least once to the EEVBlog.
Maybe one of these smokers is making a monthly donation, or has donated at least once  to the EEVBlog.
Maybe they are buying on Amazon using the EEVBlog link, maybe they bought the uCurrent or some other stuff and more....
Don't care attitude from Dave has to be reviewed.

No, it doesn't, because that's not how I roll.
If people take offence to off-handed comments I make when I speak my mind, then I don't want their support, nor their views.
When you have a large audience, everything you say and do is going to piss of a least one person.
I'll take my chances and keep my freedom to say whatever I like, thanks.
Because if I can't say whatever I want lest I think it might offend someone, then I don't want to be in the game any more.

[Len]

i kept saying "oh, I hope Sagan doesn't scratch the card's pcb with it or say goodbye to a 2-300$ card".

Me too. I wrecked a computer motherboard that way, and I was way older than Sagan. But he was having so much fun... And now we know that Sagan is definitely a tool-using primate. 

[David_AVD]

I have kids of my own, but do agree that watching someone else's kids for any length of time is not interesting.  I skipped most of that video as I watch them for the technical content mostly.  This is just my opinion of course, but feedback none the less.   

[The_Penguin]

I would have killed to be in Sagan's position... At his age (perhaps a year or two older), I was similarly fascinated by electronics, and I loved to take stuff apart, but I just didn't have any resources or knowledgeable adults to help me develop further.

Yep, a great opportunity for sure.  Plus all that geeeear!

[dexters_lab]

Loved the mailbag video Dave, no issues with me seeing Sagan in fact i found it quite entertaining, perfect for the mailbag section.

As for the controversial comments about smokers and religion, i'm a non smoking atheist so i'm  with you on those two points

Keep up the great work!